A Little More Than A Miracle
by Juliet's Shadow
Summary: Without the one you love the most everything is empty. No one is there to love you anymore. Still, there should always be hope. With a newborn son and no one but him to love, Annie must learn how to love. Merry Christmas! One-shot


**Merry Christmas! This is a little story I wrote in literally an hour and a half but I think it ended up being pretty cute! Please leave a review. That would be an amazing present to give me. Merry Christmas!**

Annie looked out the snow frosted window, holding her newborn son in her arms. She couldn't see the sea. She couldn't bear to even look at it, without him around. Finnick. Mags. They're dead. Everyone she knew and loved. Dead. Except for those who watched her now, and her son, Reef. "Annie, come over here. Look at the snowflakes."

Peeta talked to Annie gently. He had seen how fragile she was when they were imprisoned together at the Capitol. "Annie, I'm sure Reef would like to see them."

She nodded her head, brown hair lying limp in front of her eyes. Peeta took her baby from her arms and walked her over to the opposite window. Covering the soot covered town was a blanket of puffy white snow. "It's lovely, isn't it Annie?" Peeta sat Annie back down into the chair facing the window that showed the town. "I would love to paint it. I could do that you know, and send it back to District 4 with you and little Reef. That way you would never forget the snow that covers this place. Would you like that, Annie?"

Annie nodded and continued to look out the window, taking no note of Peeta gathering supplies behind her. They sat in silence, Reef sleeping in her arms, while he painted an elaborate landscape of the wondrous world outside.

Katniss was in the forest with Haymitch and a group of workers, and Rory and Vick, picking out a tree to be decorated. There was an extra house in the Victor's Village that had become a Community Center, since the old one burned down.

"That one, right there. It looks nice, doesn't it?" The pine tree she saw was ten or eleven feet tall with dark green pine needles. There was very little wrong with the tree.

"I don't know, sweetheart, they all look the same to me."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Rory, Vick, what do you think?" The boys nodded enthusiastically.

"It's perfect, Katniss!" Rory looked up at the tree with wide eyes.

Katniss passed them a rope. "Good, now go to the top and tie it up there. We're taking this one."

Rory took the rope and climbed up the tree, Vick chasing close behind him. The men prepared the saw and, soon after, cut it down.

The ornaments were being made by Greasy Sae, Hazelle and Posy. Thin pieces of birch and willow were being woven together by the expert hands of the two women into elaborate shapes. Posy made her own ornaments by coloring on blocks of unused wood or pieces of paper with paint Peeta had given her. "Look at this one, Mommy!" Posy held up a drawing of an angel.

"That is beautiful, doll." Hazelle said as she finished crafting a star. "Can you paint this for me?"

Posy nodded eagerly and pulled out gold and yellow paints. "It will be nice to see that tree up, won't it Sae?" Hazelle asked the old woman once Posy was settled.

She nodded her head and finished making a cross. "It will be beautiful. Electric lights instead of candles but still have homemade ornaments. It will be a sign for the future. I just wish everyone could be here."

Hazelle sighed. "Gale would come if it wasn't for his broken heart. I can hardly blame him; I was convinced I'd have Katniss for a daughter in law until the Hunger Games. Even then, I still might if Peeta wasn't reaped. But I can't complain, I love that boy like he is my own son. Look how much he's done for us. He takes such good care of Katniss too."

"Aye, a good match they would've been but Peeta loves her so. Imagine all the people we'll be missing this holiday season, just beside Gale. Winrey's still in District 4. I hear she ain't coming back."

"Sae, that's because her daughter died. Katniss might as well be an orphan. Her father died, mother left, sister died- I'm going to miss Prim."

"Hazelle, Katniss has it better than that poor girl that's stayin with them for the holidays. Annie? I met her once. Real sweetheart but her husband died, then she learned she was pregnant and she was left with all the scars the Hunger Games put on her. The poor girl didn't kill a soul in those games. I watched 'em 'specially close that year because a boy who frequented the Hob was reaped. He didn't survive more than three days but I remember that girl. She'll be missin Finnick Odair no doubt."

Posy was listening to the women's conversation while coloring the star Hazelle made gold. "Is she the nice lady that let me play with her baby, mommy?"

"Yes, doll, she was. He was the cute boy with the red hair and green eyes. He resembles his father a lot."

Posy looked at the ornament in her hands. "May I give her this one? To make her feel better about losing her baby's daddy?"

Hazelle and Sae looked at one another. "Of course dear. We can go give the ornaments to them now. We're about done, I think. Maybe Haymitch will even let you put the star on the tree."

They grabbed a basket, put warm winter's coats on, a scarf and mittens, put the ornaments in a basket and headed out into the cold.

There was a knock on the door. Annie heard it, but she didn't dare move. She didn't want to put her child down, let him go. She let Finnick go and lost him. Peeta had seen the boys and Katniss go into the Community Center with the tree about half an hour ago. They were still setting up. Peeta put down his silver paint tipped brush and answered the door. There was Posy, holding a tiny gold painted ornament and Hazelle and Sae hold a basket full each.

"Well well, what a surprise we have here!" He bent down and picked up little Posy. "What's that you've got there?"

Posy smiled. "It's a present for Miss Annie. May I give it to her?"

Peeta smiled and held out his hand for the little girl to take. "Right this way." They entered the vast living room where Annie still sat cradling Reef. "Annie, Posy has a gift for you."

For the first time since she had gotten to District 12, Annie looked up and recognized something for herself. Posy climbed onto Annie's lap. "It's an ornament. My mommy made it into the star but I painted it."

"It- it's lovely." Annie's voice was soft, barely heard, but genuine. Posy gave Annie a kiss on the cheek and her son a kiss on the forehead.

"Miss Annie, are you coming to the Christmas party tomorrow?"

Annie smiled. "I would love to, Posy."

Sae looked at Hazelle and smiled. "That's a little more than a miracle, that right there."

The next morning, Christmas morning, Peeta and Katniss were awoken to the faint sound of humming. "Is Annie awake?"

Peeta looked at the girl next to him. "Reef must have woken her up. She always puts him to sleep by humming."

They walked carefully over to Annie's room and knocked on the door. "Annie?" Katniss said in a low voice, "May we come in, are you decent?"

Annie opened the door and they saw her in a sweater dress, one that would come to a person's knees, black leggings, knee high socks poking out of knee high brown boots. Her hair was in ringlets, just past her shoulder blades, instead of its usual straight as a board look. "Is- is this alright?"

Katniss came over to Annie, hesitantly, and gave her a hug. "You look wonderful. The best I've seen you since your wedding."

Annie blushed. "Well, I think I'm finally starting to feel at peace. Reef needs me now. Besides, it's Christmas. Merry Christmas." She went to her son's portable crib and pulled him out. He was wearing a small red sweater vest, a white under shirt and black pants. He kept kicking his shoes off, apparently, because they were thrown around his crib.

Peeta kissed the top of Annie's head. "We will head to the party as soon as Katniss and I are ready, is that okay?"

"That is absolutely perfect."

An hour later, they left to the party. The party was usually was sufficed as a present, since they couldn't be afforded in the past but now presents were overflowing under the tree. Rory, Vick and Posy passed them out to everyone who was there. There were two piles of presents for those who didn't come. A pile for Gale and a pile for Katniss's mother, Winrey.

The children opened their gifts first. They each got things they wanted and needed, as did everyone. Once the presents were opened Greasy Sae and Hazelle went to the kitchen to cook the Christmas meal. The children played with their new toys. Rory hung out with the other boys his age and the men cleared the piles of wrapping paper.

Katniss and Annie took turns holding Reef and showing him his new toys, when they heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Katniss went to the door and nearly fainted when she saw who it was. "Mom! Gale!"

Winrey and Gale sheepishly entered the house with a dolly and a big present on it. While Gale pushed the giant package, Winrey passed out the smaller presents they brought to everyone. "Who is the big one for, Gale?" Posy asked Gale as she eyed it with bright blue eyes.

Gale laughed. "Sweet thing, the big one isn't for you, it's for Annie."

Gale took Reef out of Annie's hands and led her to the present. "You should open it now."

Annie did as she was told, slowly and carefully peeling the wrapping paper away from the giant box. "May I have a ladder?" She asked, stepping away from the box. "It opens from the top."

Gale knocked on the side of the box twice, paused, and tilted it slowly and carefully onto its side. "Now open it."

She made the box open and before she knew what happened, her lips were covered with another pair. When they finally pulled away, Annie was crying. "Finnick!"

Finnick scooped Annie into his arms bridal style. "Hey Annie." His face was scarred but still handsome. His hair was shorter than she remembered but it was still the same.

"Katniss- Katniss told me what happened. How did you survive?"

Finnick laughed. "I heard her say nightlock the first time, just when I thought I was about to die, but I pulled myself free from the mutt- it was distracted- and threw myself into the water. I hit my head hard and got extremely scarred up. I was found unrecognized by a group of Avox who took me to the hospital. I was in a coma but when I woke up, last month, I was under Mrs. Everdeen's care. Gale came down to District 4 for work about two weeks later and said hello to Mrs. Everdeen, when he saw me. We hatched this plan to surprise you for Christmas. Two weeks was a lifetime too long to wait for you, Annie."

The two kissed for what seemed a lifetime, under the mistletoe.

**Would y'all like a more detailed story to how Finnick survived? I made this theory up once I read Mockingjay. I never accepted Finnick's death and still believe he is alive. But please review! If you do, I'll read and review a story of yours. Merry Christmas! **


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